Local songs to help you survive Valentine's weekend

Published Friday February 14, 2014 at 7:02 pm

Updated Friday February 14, 2014 at 7:04 pm

Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. And while there's nothing wrong with that, it's not hard to guess that, with Valentine's Day falling on a Friday, many will use the opportunity to extend the festivities. And who can blame them?

Well … probably lots of folks … but whether you hate the holiday or revel in it, here are a few songs by local and regional musicians to get you through the weekend.
Let's start out with the late Scott Ricciuti and Pistol Whipped, with the melancholy musing on separated lovers, “Miles & Miles.”
Like The Red Haunts The Wine by Scott Ricciuti and Pistol Whipped
In the same vein, Amherst singer-songwriter Michelle Chamuel's “Made For Me (crunchy v day version)” is lovely and wistful:
Made For Me (crunchy v day version) by Michelle Chamuel
But perhaps it's time to pick up the pace a bit, before someone starts crying in his whiskey. Toribin Harding's ”Definitely Love” lightens the tone a bit, making a good transition into Anastasia Markov's infectiously catchy ”Sarah Won't Cry” and Aslan King's raucous ”10X A Day.”
With the tempo up, it's a good time for Providence hip-hop star Sage Francis' “Love the Lie.”
But really, you can only bury yourself in cynicism so long, and Uh-Huh bassist Clarissa Gartner's song about — ahem — what she'd like to do to a hunk brings the heat with a sultry restraint and a doo-wop sullenness. It's a gorgeous little song, even if we can't print its title in a family newspaper.
Another surprise was a song sent to us from Worcester Review editor Diane Mulligan, who sent us a lovely little tribute song to singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. We don't know his work well, but like the song well enough on its own merits:
But while we're lightening the mood a bit, “Amylee,” by Boston's Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, has that same intermingled sense of wistfulness and lightness:
Volume One by The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library
Andrew Scandal's electro-pop love song “Fluorescent Dreams” escalates the tone with a song that's both more upbeat and underscored by a real
sweetness:
Mosaic Mirrors by Andrew Scandal
Likewise, “Hot Bottom Philly,” by local Americana act Grade “A” Fancy, has a fun veneer, even if there's a tinge of darkness amid the joyous din:

Keeping in the Americana vein for a moment, James Keyes' “You're Not Alone,” is a great love song, endearing and devoid of sentimentality:
Devil Take The Hindmost by James Keyes
Likewise, Anda Volley's darkly poetic “If I Turn Into a Black Rose” is equal parts unsentimental and surreal:
Inside the Ghost Machine by Anda Volley
Most of the best love songs —including just about everything on this list — are a mixture of joy and sadness. The epitome of this structure is the classic “You Are My Sunshine,” which Doctor Gonzo and theRoadKill Orchestra put their own spin on:
And lastly, a good love song is —to paraphrase my wife — like a good whiskey: If you're not careful, it'll leave you messed up and weeping. Now, back at the beginning of this playlist, we said it was too early for that sort of thing. Well, now we're at the end, and if any song's going to leave you an emotional wreck, it'll be The Curtis Mayflower's “Last Kiss”:
Everything Beautiful Is Under Attack by The Curtis Mayflower
However you're tackling this holiday weekend, we hope there's something in this list that suits your mood. Local music, as always, has plenty to offer. Happy Valentine's Day. (Victor D. Infante)